Uploaded March 2023 | Updated September 2026, 9 hours ago

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True Detective Season 2 earned a reputation as one of the most disastrous follow-up seasons to an acclaimed TV show to ever hit the air. This video breaks down why it failed and why it is secretly far better than its terrible reception would indicate.

This video is a part of the Deserves More Respect series, which looks back at critically trashed movies (and shows) and defends them. Check out more episodes here: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLWo4eAfFcptWdnJciPQ6NqF0oumqmWTH

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Read my post-apocalyptic revenge novel "The Fall of Polite" amazon.com/dp/B084V2CKGQ

Letterboxd: letterboxd.com/Brickwall_

True Detective season two was created and primarily written by Nic Pizzolatto. The cast consists of Colin Farrell as Ray Velcoro, Rachel McAdams as Ani Bezzerides, Taylor Kitsch as Paul Woodrugh, and Vince Vaughn as Frank Semyon.

Chapters:
00:00 - Intro
00:54 - Why season 2 failed
08:28 - Season comparisons
11:05 - The dense plot
12:58 - The characters/performances
17:21 - The action
20:47 - Conclusion